The family of Rajan Moonesinghe, killed by Austin police last fall, is proposing the creation of a new award to be presented to APD officers who use de-escalation tactics to resolve potentially violent interactions with the public.
“We are asking the APD and Chief [Joseph] Chacon to establish a Preservation of Life medal that commends those that employ de-escalation tactics to preserve a life,” Mark Moonesinghe, Rajan’s brother, said at a rally outside City Hall on June 6. “Our family, through the foundation established for Rajan, would like to pledge our support and our funding to establish this sort of medal. Austin must learn from the other cities that have struggled with this issue and made changes.” He said cities including Los Angeles and Philadelphia have begun awarding officers such medals, and that doing so here could help change the culture of Austin’s police force, which has the reputation of shooting first before using de-escalation. For years, criminal justice advocates have complained about this very thing, pointing to the police killings of Mike Ramos and Alex Gonzales, among others.
Moonesinghe was killed on Nov. 15, 2022, after three APD officers were dispatched to the Bouldin neighborhood in response to a 911 call warning that a man was holding an assault rifle on his front porch and pointing it into the interior of his own home. Officer body-cam video on APD’s YouTube page shows an officer, identified as Daniel Sanchez, taking cover behind Moonesinghe’s fence. He yells, “Drop the gun!” and, as he finishes the word “gun” – before Moonesinghe has time to react – fires three shots, then two more. He and two other officers wait 30 seconds, then advance to find Moonesinghe bleeding to death on his front porch.
Moonesinghe’s mother, Ruth, spoke at the rally, explaining that she believes in love and forgiveness and continues to pray for all APD officers. She shared the prayer she gave at her son’s funeral: “Lord, I ask that through this tragedy You will help my family to set things right. Your word saith that righteousness and justice are the foundations of Your throne. Steadfast love and faithfulness go before You. This means that we are called to take action and confront evil to care for the vulnerable and make right that which is wrong. I humbly ask that You guide us through this process.’ So I insist that the investigation focus on the officers and their conduct that night.”
The investigation she spoke of is the one that APD is still conducting, as they’ve told Ruth and local press. She said that as far as the family can tell, the main subject of the investigation remains Rajan, not the officers. And she asked police to return Rajan’s phones, which were confiscated as evidence, so the family can retrieve the last photos he took before his upcoming birthday, when he would have turned 34.
She also said that after Rajan’s death the family worked to pass Proposition A, the ballot initiative that voters approved overwhelmingly in May, to strengthen civilian oversight of police in city law. When Republicans proposed a law during this year’s legislative session that would have gutted police oversight across the state, the Moonesinghes went to the Capitol to tell the story of Rajan’s killing and what they believe is APD’s attempt to escape accountability for it.
“Now that Prop A has passed and the awful bill did not pass, it’s time for us today to launch the promised oversight system and bring sunlight into the investigation of Rajan’s death,” Ruth said. “We expect city leaders to immediately reestablish the Office of Police Oversight as an independent investigator, with the power to improve the current investigation, find the facts, and assure that Austin is working to prevent this from happening to anyone else.”
This article appears in June 9 • 2023.